Arriving at "Au pied du Ventoux",
Contemplating, settling down,
Relaxing, giving space to the soul,
Becoming aware of one's breathing!
Wild pathways up towards the Ventoux,
Borders of the Nesque in bloom,
Poppies, lavender and thyme,
The song of cicadas
Stretching out beneath the stars,
Listening, seeing, and smelling....
Capture the colours on the page
One click, life, holidays!
Opening up, becoming friends!
Music, laughter and whispers,
Scents and tastes of family cooking,
Silence, deep sleep, tranquillity,
In a house of friends !
Diary
June 9th
Our heart beats for Belgium ! This year once again, Franky and his troop came to stay with us. A very happy and friendly group. The men have been playing football together for years (1979 until 2005) but now, for age reasons, they cycle. Their aim: to climb the Ventoux! The wives who, full of initiative, used to accompany them at football matches and now follow their bike training were also here, on their way to markets, cafés and local exhibitions. In the evening, around the traditional pre-dinner drinks, everybody had so much to tell. Cheers! (tchin tchin!)
From the 10th to the 17th May Watercolour lessons at « Au pied du Ventoux”
And nothing is as it used to be! The world is now divided into primary and secondary colours: the mountains in the distance are blue, the “cabanon” (small stone hut) is in the foreground, the bushes in the middle, and the big tree is already in the background, or is it the blue mountains first and this big tree there in the middle? The doors in the village are no longer just doors, now they are blue-grey, green-grey, olive grey, gun metal grey doors. And those shadows! They are to the left of the door, to the right of the door or behind the flower pot next to the door.
Or may be it is us the shadows that glide through Flassan… to stop in front of the door and immortalize it, but with wet on wet or dry on wet?
from the 12th to the 19th April French lessons and hiking
from the 19th to the 26th April hikingBlue sky, sunshine, slight breeze. Two groups came: the first one to take part in French lessons in the morning and hike in the afternoon; the second, to hike full time! All really enjoyed the time they spent together. As if they’d been friends for ever, they learnt, copied and interviewed people in the village. Even after their day’s work, they played board games in French. They loved the paths chosen for the hikes, particularly when those lead them, “perchance” to a small village café. Much more demanding were the all day hikes, in the “dentelles de Montmirail”, around St Armand or climbing up the Ventoux!
April 5th
A pleasure for the ear at the foot of the Ventoux. We had a group of musicians staying with us. After the dessert they unpacked their instruments: two accordions, a clarinet and a keyd fiddle. Tilman told the curious audience all about his medieval fiddle. We spent a wonderful evening together with our guests and we were all carried away by the happy sounds. That night the melodies of Margarete’s accordion were still ringing in my ears as I went to bed.
March 24th, Easter Day
Flassan in the snow. Winter in Provence! What a surprise for our guests when they opened the doors leading to the patio this morning: no blue sky, no sun and only a misty view across the hills. Instead, they experienced a snowy and chilly day. The weather reminded us of the year 1956 when one million olive trees froze in Vaucluse in the middle of a frosty February. Worried about their income, many farmers at the time switched to cultivating vines. With a glass of “Côtes du Ventoux” in our hands we sat around the fireplace and listened to lots of interesting stories.
17th january 2008
It’s crazy ! they’ve started singing again. In the morning, the birds wake us up. It is sunny and warm. Flowers are growing, you can smell the soil, the landscape is changing. In the afternoon, we sit on our terrace in Flassan, in the sunshine and gaze at the horizon. Behind us, the giant Ventoux is serene, its top covered with a blanket of snow. Winter sport addicts come at the week-ends to have fun on the blue, red and black « pistes » or on the sledging runs. A real sporting meeting spot ! In the evening, metal caravans curl down the mountainside back to Marseille, Orange or the otherside of the Rhone.
21st December
Christmas is coming. Everybody is getting ready for the big celebrations: Christmas markets in every little village, Avignon by night under its Christmas lights, exhibitions of handmade "santons" figurines, provençal flute music and of course Papa Noël who really descended from the sky in Vacqueyras…
We're looking back joyfully and thankfully towards this past year. Watching all the good-bye photos of our guests, we feel as if you are here with us as we celebrate Christmas now.
We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy and healthy new year in 2008
16th November
The Beaujolais nouveau has arrived in Provence and with it, autumn. In the morning, the mist rises above the valleys. A little while later, the sun appears. Wine makers in the area open the doors to their cellars and invite you in for a tasting. It is now time to think about Christmas and check the stocks.
The truffle trade has started with the first ones being found. In Carpentras, the price is (with haggling!) around 380 Euros a kilo.
But don't you dare venture on your own into the forest on Sunday mornings or at dusk! Shots and dogs' barking can be heard in the distance. Everywhere hunters hide and look out for possible targets. But don't worry, all will end well. The wine, the game, the truffles. In four weeks, the big celebrations bring everyone together, them and us.
18th october
Now is the time to catch the last rays of sunshine before winter. The vegetable kingdom is still obstinately showing its splendour, aware that autumn, getting closer, will eventually rob him of his leaves and colours. The light is soft and velvety, the view clear and far, sunsets red, with three exclamation marks! Our clients swim in the pool in the afternoon, yet, I saw them wearing gloves and headbands while jogging in the early hours. La Provence… a region full of contrasts!
1st-8th September
Watercolour painting at « au pied du ventoux ». The first watercolour course took place this week. Three eager women, between 18 and 74, came for a week to learn to paint, for 4 hours a day. The teacher, Henri Giraud, who himself discovered his passion for watercolour 20 years ago, immediately inspired them. Starting with easy techniques and slowly becoming more difficult, amazing paintings were made.
In addition to this, we also went on a guided tour of the Mathieu ochre factory in Roussillon, a hike to Bedoin, shopping at the market in Vaison-la-romaine and a few other outings.
15 of August
All our clients responded happily to a spontaneous invitation to a « special apéritif ». Had they already noticed something?
At 8:00 pm, 10 adults and 5 children, with glasses full of pastis, kir or grape juice awaited, full of curiosity, that we revealed the plaque we had fixed (almost unnoticed) that day.
Drum-roll. Applause. Flashes… “PLACE DE L’APERO”
Now, the place where we serve « apéritif » before dinner has found its name. Indeed, “l’APERO” is spelt with capital letters in our house.
1st of August
Today, we can look back at our first three months at “Au Pied du Ventoux”. Such a pleasure to welcome so many friendly clients! Clients from Belgium, France, Germany, Australia, England, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Spain and Switzerland. Our youngest client was Louise, 6 weeks old and our oldest was Guy, 85 years old!
What did they appreciate the most?
The spectacular view, the peace and quiet, the thousands of stars, the possibility of meeting others and exchanging plans for the day or just simply chatting while having breakfast or dinner together.
12 of July
Now, motorbikers also carry us in their hearts. The first two groups of bikers came to stay: 7 French bike-lovers (5 women and 2 men) with wide smiles. They came from Lyon and the Ardèche and met at ours, so the journey wasn’t too long: anyway, they were more interested in enjoying the road to get to the Ventoux than speeding here.
2nd of July
« Mummy, where do holidays live ? » « When does lavender bloom ? »
These are essential questions in life. The short answer: “here, now”.
You can see that in Provence we really live “here and now”.
We have just come back from the lavender festival of Ferrassières. Lots of questions were asked there about essence. The essence of the real lavender, which likes to grow above 700m in altitude, in the region of Sault, is used in the perfume industry and in beauty care. Not to be confused with its hybrid “le lavandin” (400m-700m) which is used mostly for washing powder purposes. The third sort, “la lavande d’aspic” (200m-500m) smells like camphor and is used in the making of paints and varnishes.
Do you still have any questions?
17th May
Here, the weather is beautiful for riding a bike. Anyone who can ride a bike is out on the road at the moment. Amongst them were our clients Torsten Walter and Mathias Wotzlaw of Cologne. The friendly pair, both enduring sportsmen, took part in a competition organised by the French Cycling Federation. They were to cycle up the Ventoux 5 times in 24 hours (starting from Bedoin, Sault or Malaucène). They went up 4 times during the day and once in the night. It was great! Congratulations to both of you!
2nd of May
Then, the first customers arrived, on foot of course, as “au pied du ventoux” is next to the GR 91 (long distance footpath). They came from Malaucène and were heading on to Sault. The walkers liked our cooking and really enjoyed the view. I overheard one lady say: ”It’s great here!” We started on the right foot!
1st of May 2007
It was great at the “pied du ventoux”! About a hundred people, of which 20 Germans and 80 French, came to celebrate the opening of “ au pied du ventoux”. We danced Madison, Rock’n’roll and “the bear” following Isabelle’s accordeon. Bernard lead us singing “au pied du ventoux, in the sun, at midday, we always have some fun...” a modified version of Joe Dassin’s “Aux Champs-Elysées”. In between, we ate. Everyone loved our paella and the cakes... after midnight!
